I felt like my best self here and was changed for the better May 29, 2023

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

In comparison to my liberal arts college, The University of Edinburgh has a different approach, in which one must be more self-motivated to learn and not rely on being able to reach their professors easily. It is less of a personal experience and more of an independently academic one. For instance, class sizes are much larger, and professors are not easily available where they make it clear they have somewhere to be and cannot stop and talk with you academically, even if they also seem interested in the subject. As well, tests and essays are graded anonymously, so you as a student are not taken into account when grading, which can be difficult for people whose first language is not English. However, I did like the variety of courses offered, since Middlebury does not have many creative writing courses left that I am interested in. I also liked the exposure to subjects that are not taught at Middlebury, like Fashion Design, although I was not able to enroll or attend any classes. I would have liked if I could at least attend class without a grade, but I never received a response from the professor teaching the beginning course. I think one of the great potentials of study abroad is taking courses that a small school does not typically offer, and I would have liked that exposure. However, there were other resources open to students including fantastic makerspaces. I nearly joined a metalworking side course, but became distracted by other hobbies and friends. If your focus is to get as much out of the university as possible, there are plenty of ways to explore your areas of interest outside of your Major.

On-site administration of your program

They were very kind to me, and when I missed classes, instead of being angry, they sent me a caring email inquiring on my well-being and a gentle warning that I could not miss more classes. They also are very responsive; when I was stuck in another country because of public transport strikes, my advisor was very kind and understanding and told me to take the easiest and cheapest flight back and that she would communicate with my professors. I had the sense that she genuinely cared about my wellbeing and academic success based on that.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

I lived in Holland House, which is one of the nicer houses in Pollock. The only downside was that everyone I lived near were freshmen, so all the study abroad third years were scattered around and could not easily find each other if we had not made our own groupchat from the facebook exchange group. But my housing was the best dorm situation I've ever had, with my own small bathroom and shower and plenty of plugs so that I could do work in my room. The dining hall was alright, where the staff were incredibly friendly, and I'm not one to easily complain about food that I did not make, but it did get very repetitive where I don't see myself willingly eating cod ever again. But, overall it was good. It was not the safest, as our keys could open the main door and also our own doors, and maitenance could walk in at any time; in another residence, there was an issue where someone copied the keys and was able to access students' flats and stole money from multiple rooms. There are also rarely people checking around campus for suspicious behavior, so it's surprising more break-ins don't happen with the lack of security. The main door to my building was also broken for an entire semester where it could easily be pushed open without a key. If you lost your key, they would give you a new one, but not change the lock, so if your key was found by someone who could figure out which room you were in, they could potentially unlock your door. There were also many fire alarms, much more than I've had at Middlebury, but it could be because it was primarily a freshman dorm. My proximity to campus and popular areas was perfect. The gym was a mile away, but it was an easy straight shot from Pollock Halls and on a safe street, so I was very comfortable walking back at night. I made many of my friends through living at Pollock Halls, so I am glad that I was housed there overall.

The dining hall staff were incredibly kind--I loved this one man who always said hello and had varying hair cuts and colors, sometimes pink or purple I think. So I feel bad complaining about the food, but it could have had more variety and options for vegetarians or vegans. The main protein for vegans is at breakfast where they serve vegan sausages, but at dinner, your best bet might be yogurt, as the protein is always meat, usually cod. One interesting thing that gave the food an extra star is that my stomach was never upset by the food. Meanwhile in the US, and especially at Middlebury, I often had trouble with that, so I had gotten a lot of testing done to see if I had any digestive problems. All of my tests came back fine, so I suspect my stomach is sensitive and that the food there, even the excessive amount of croissants, was easier to digest.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

Edinburgh is by far the safest city I've been to; people are openly friendly and open to talking, and I made friends easily with locals who would drop what they were doing just to talk. It also felt like a familiar culture for me, although I know that as a white person, it must be much easier to blend in, since the city lacks diversity. I would also say that it is somewhat similar to the US, where they play American music (usually 2000s hits you would have heard on the radio) and dress similarly, so I didn't find it hard to adjust. One thing that I did not expect was the lack of Scottish people. I rarely met people who were from Scotland; usually people were studying there or had moved there from European countries like The Netherlands, Germany, France, or Sweden. I would have liked to have met people who had grown up there, other than a few Uber drivers who were Scottish. I would say that the part of Edinburgh that is the University of Edinburgh is more European overall than Scottish.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

For mental health, the university was very understanding and would give extensions or reach out to check on you. However, getting medications was extremely difficult; I ended up flying home multiple times to refill some medications. They did not have one of mine, and another was a controlled substance so I needed to go home, get more, and get a letter from my psychiatrist. I also found that if you are not there for a year, you cannot register with a General Practitioner, or if, in my case, you don't think about registering until you have a health problem at the end of the year and at that point it's too late to register, the only way to get help is to call when the university's medical center opens and hope they have room for you that day. For my antidepressant, they had a similar one that would require me to taper off my current one and start that one, which was just not feasible due to potential withdrawal. As for physical health, you definitely need to register with a General Practitioner through the university as soon as you arrive; otherwise, by the middle of the spring semester, you may not be able to register with one. That means that you will not be able to make appointments and must call the office every morning to see if they have any availability. I went in one time to be assessed for arthritis, and they told me that getting in with a physical therapist would be difficult and potentially not worth my time. If you're spending a year there, it would be good to have backup plans in case it is difficult to get your healthcare needs met. I did at one point go to the emergency room, and they were very kind, helpful, fast, and didn't charge me anything for my visit.

This is honestly the safest city I've been to, especially as a female-presenting woman. There are many countries in Europe where I experienced harassment, while here I can walk around every day, wearing a tanktop, and not be harassed.I also always feel safe walking home late at night alone, which I haven't experienced in the United States either in cities. As long as you have common sense, don't follow strangers home, bring headphones in case someone is trying to catcall you (rare in Edinburgh), and ignore any staring, you should be fine and feel very safe. I would also recommend staying near central Edinburgh instead of the residential areas. I had one incident of harassment where a man was particularly persistent at following me in the area west of the Meadows, but you're unlikely to end up there unless you are intentionally going to a place in that area. Most students stay around Nicholson Street, the University libraries, or Princes Street, and that is more than enough. If you are coming home late at night, I've heard that the Meadows is not particularly safe at that time, but I've never heard of any specific incidents.

I'm not sure about my answer. I would love to do it over again, and have the same friends as I did the first semester (that was my favorite of the two because they were all only there for the fall), and make Edinburgh feel even more like home. However, I value living life to its fully and for me, that means consistently choosing new experiences over the old. I would enjoy being somewhere less similar to the US, such as a country that speaks a primary language and then English as a secondary language. But, I would not trade that year I had for any other place or experience.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

For me, I was on a dining hall plan and had free public transport, so I could easily spend nothing each week if I didn't have a weakness for chai lattes (go to Lady and the Bear or Coffee Angel on Nicholson Street) and thrifting at charity shops on Nicholson.

Select all that apply

• Dorm

Select all that apply

• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

Select all that apply

• Local Students
• Americans
• International Students

• recorded lectures to rewatch
• the study abroad group chat
• extra resources like a rock climbing wall with towrope and belaying

• more opportunities to meet full-time students
• access to more classes
• more opportunities to get grades (most courses only had 2 grades)

The Nearly Native or Trail Blazer